Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Welcome Back!

Welcome back from Fall Break! We hope that everyone had a restful break from school and the students enjoyed the great weather. We are very excited to get back to school and teach some new sports in P.E.!

Before the break we were learning to play volleyball. We wanted the students to understand the basics of the game: rotating positions, bumping, passing, serving and returning. Each new skill was taught on a different day, but each skill built on the previous one to create an orderly game. By the end of the two weeks the students were able to play against each other by rallying through a series of serves, volleys and returned passes. It was really impressive to see them learn so much so quickly and play organized volleyball games! 

Now we will move onto Team Handball. This is a wonderful game to introduce to young athletes as it is very similar to basketball and incorporates some hockey elements. It will prepare them to handle a basketball by dribbling, passing and defending as well as making them move to get open and find unoccupied space. We will begin with the basics of dribbling and passing and move into defending against those skills. The goal is to play 5-on-5 games in which each team is trying to score a goal on their opponent. More details (and hopefully pictures) are to come!

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Football and Volleyball

We have come to the end of our football unit and a lot of hard work has been accomplished. The students learned many football skills and techniques but it took a lot of patience and diligence on their part. They learned how to hold the ball properly and change direction when necessary as well as the positions on a football field and the job they have every time the ball is snapped (see pictures below). The students made great improvements with all the fundamentals and it was a pleasure to see them in action during our flag football games. Job well done!


Running the Ball Relays
Flag Football Games

Now it is time for volleyball. The students are getting a feel for this new ball that many have not played with. They are learning how to control the ball and make slight adjustments to hit the ball just right. Under-hand serving and bump-passing are skills that we will incorporate into short rallies so they begin to understand the game of volleyball.

As for fitness in P.E., we are making their simple plank holds a little more difficult. The students are doing plank stars, scorpion holds, and shoulder touches. Everyone has excelled at these skills as they continue to strengthen their core. Be sure to ask them to share their exercises and how it is helping their bodies!